Final exams came in two forms. The first was a regular academic assessment that measured how hard you had worked that semester. If you failed to meet the standard, you were expelled from the academy. Someone was expelled after every round of finals. By the time students reached the upper grades, few were expelled for failing. Instead, all sorts of bizarre reasons came up—some funny, some horrifying—and students were simply dealt with and expelled.
The second was more like an elite points system. Only students who reached a certain level were eligible to take part. It was similar to the Spirit Master Tournament: students competed, and the winner took first place. Eligibility came from rankings in these smaller exams, teacher recommendations, and various other means. In the end, the Academic Affairs Office compiled a list.
The list ensured that students who might have fallen afoul of their homeroom teachers still got to compete in matches suited to their abilities, preventing unpleasant scandals. There were plenty of cautionary tales. Some families weren't powerful, but they could still make their voices heard. As soon as people took notice, Shrek had a problem on its hands. That was why this supplementary system had been introduced.
Of course, having ability wasn't enough if you just kept it to yourself. You had to show everyone what you could do. Once they understood your level, you could talk about holding back. For now, you had to bare your fangs and let everyone see them. That was how you avoided getting bullied—and how you secured a share of the resources.
Take the team assignments, for example. Every time, some students were left without teammates. What could you do? Social skills were an important part of a person's abilities. If you couldn't get others to team up with you, then you needed to be able to join someone else's team. You had to seize your own opportunities. Support System students stood out most in this regard.
Unusual Martial Souls could lead to unusual social circumstances, which in turn shaped people's personalities. A person's social environment determined their character. It wasn't that every Support System Soul Master was withdrawn; the proportion was simply too high in that group.
That only raised the odds of being eliminated. It wasn't that nobody wanted to change this predicament. Support System Soul Masters were already too few in number. Of the five professions, if you divided them into ten parts, Support System students would account for only one—and the abilities within that group varied wildly. Too many were useless.
It wasn't really that they were useless, just that they were useless at this stage. But if they didn't make it through now, how could they have a future? Some Support System Soul Masters with good social skills ended up getting their teammates killed, making the group's reputation even worse. The cycle went on, and it was a good outcome if even half of that one-tenth remained.
Things got interesting later on. You look down on me now, but one day you won't be worthy of me. A team couldn't do without a purely functional Support System Soul Master. But how many would be available to choose from by then? "Choose" was too brazen a word. They ought to be begging the Support System students to spare them a glance.
By then, though, it was probably too late. The good Support System students would already have found their places. The most extreme example was Huo Yuhao. He had been claimed before he even enrolled, with angel investment on top of that. How could you expect someone to fall for you without putting in any effort? If someone took an interest in you, it was because you had performed well.
You didn't try to win them over before enrolling, after enrolling, or during the exams. Then, when you finally got desperate, you started trying to win them over? Too late. By then, countless people would already have helped the Support System students along their career paths. You'd already fallen behind in the final competition.
There was also the question of ability. Maybe he really couldn't help a suitable Support System student graduate. The difficulty had already been tested by the older students who'd been dragged down in the past.
Truly powerful teams were built around Support System Soul Masters. Some were built around Control System Soul Masters, too. Other abilities were too limited in how they could be applied, and couldn't bring about a qualitative change. You couldn't really call those people short-sighted; suitable Support System students were simply too rare. There were very few with abilities like Huo Yuhao's, which suited almost any team composition. The only ones with a chance of comparing were Food System Soul Masters.
Meeting one was an opportunity and a sign that you were incredibly lucky. It deserved recognition. If you didn't meet one, that meant you weren't good enough.
An entire education system had been built around this situation. Everything was geared toward forming one or several overwhelmingly powerful teams, the kind that made everyone else pale in comparison. Even if you were a Titled Douluo, a few Soul Saints and Soul Douluo working together could put up a fight against you. The scariest part was that they all had the potential to become Titled Douluo. If every member of the team reached that level, who could they not defeat?
Of course, that was the ideal. More often, students graduated and went their separate ways, rarely seeing one another again. But Shrek Academy had preserved its ability to assemble and train such a team. You shouldn't underestimate it.
Huo Yuhao didn't know enough to answer Xiao Xiao's question, so he could only put it off until later. He had an idea now: introduce his friend to Bei Bei and the others. At least Huo Yuhao had already decided that Xiao Xiao was his friend. Becoming his friend wasn't difficult; not many people had tried.
She was the first friend he'd made at Shrek Academy. Xu Sanshi didn't count. He wanted to tell Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who were practically his benefactors, about it. As for how this counted, or whether he really had made a friend, there was no need to fuss over it. Asking would be a little rude.
Bei Bei and the others should be arriving about now. They'd agreed on the time and place. Xu Sanshi hadn't had enough fun yet, so he'd demanded another match to savor the joy of beating Bei Bei. Since they'd won two-on-two, he could call it one-on-one, right? There wasn't much difference. Huo Yuhao was still only a one-ring Soul Master, while Tang Ya was a three-ring Soul Master. No matter how you looked at it, Xu Sanshi was the one at a disadvantage.
That showed how capable he was, though he hadn't yet felt comfortable sharing the details with anyone. He'd only told them the result. It wasn't just because he didn't want his bragging to be exposed; he also wanted to protect Huo Yuhao from being targeted and harassed by those people. Even if Huo Yuhao wasn't going to leave, the harassment would still be a nuisance. You couldn't imagine how thick-skinned the older students who'd spent years at Shrek could be.
Xu Sanshi didn't even rank among the worst of them. Perhaps, after enough time, he might have a chance of measuring up to those who'd truly mastered the art of shamelessness. But with Jiang Nannan in the picture, he probably never would. The ones who truly didn't care what anyone thought were mostly men without wives. Someone who was so thoroughly wrapped around her finger didn't count.
Just then, three people appeared. They had a distinct air about them that made everyone who saw them turn for a second look. Maybe it was the aura of the strong. They were also a little surprised to see a girl beside Huo Yuhao. He didn't seem like someone who could win a girl over in such a short time. He could barely manage a conversation with strangers.
Xiao Xiao looked at the older students, especially the two handsome boys, and her eyes lit up. Before Huo Yuhao could remind her, she introduced herself. "I'm Huo Yuhao's companion, Xiao Xiao, from the Control System. I hope I can count on all of you, senior brothers and sisters."
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